Rob Schneider Reflects on Charlie Kirk's Legacy, Free Speech, and the Future of American Universities

[00:00] And joining us now to discuss Charlie

[00:02] Kirk's legacy, his life, and reactions

[00:04] across the US is Rob Schneider,

[00:06] comedian, filmmaker, and host of the See

[00:08] What Happens podcast. So Rob, first of

[00:11] all, I'm a huge fan. Thank you so much

[00:12] for coming on the show today.

[00:13] >> Thank you, Don.

[00:14] >> Uh how are you doing today?

[00:16] >> Good. I I um you know it's a extremely

[00:20] difficult time in America and but I'm

[00:22] very buoied by the um uh by the love

[00:26] that is being poured out and the um what

[00:30] um what is a a real energizing and what

[00:36] Charlie Kirk stood for which was debate

[00:39] uh discourse and um truth truthfully

[00:43] like how exceptional the United States

[00:45] is. I mean, free speech was the the

[00:48] foundation of uh of all of our freedoms.

[00:51] Um, and that's uh the the the fact that

[00:56] um we can and should challenge each

[00:59] other's certainties so that we could um

[01:02] you know get the best idea. That's what

[01:05] we need to continue to have an

[01:06] exceptional society is to is to hear all

[01:09] ideas. And sometimes you're going to get

[01:11] um stuck uh in a bad idea if you're not

[01:16] being challenged. And what's happened at

[01:18] universities all over the country is

[01:20] that they've been um force-fed an

[01:22] ideology which is in uh anti-American

[01:26] and and against discourse, debate, and

[01:30] free speech. So, it's um seeing this um

[01:35] as a uh a watershed moment and a

[01:37] potential time for a re-energizing of

[01:40] what makes this country so special and

[01:42] that how it is and will continue to be

[01:45] the beacon of freedom all over the

[01:47] world. And the cornerstone of that is

[01:48] free speech.

[01:49] >> Yeah. And Charlie said it best. When the

[01:51] conversation stop, that's when the

[01:52] violence begins. Uh how how would you

[01:55] say what is this impact uh his work has

[01:58] had on America? Well, I mean, when you

[02:00] would go

[02:03] and uh when you could see online now the

[02:06] talks that uh Charlie had with students,

[02:10] some of the things uh some of the the

[02:13] thinking that the students had had not

[02:16] been challenged and um they were

[02:19] basically they're not at university now.

[02:22] They're not teaching people how to think

[02:24] critically or to think for themselves.

[02:27] They're just cranking out cranking out

[02:30] advocates for an an ideology that is

[02:33] illiberal in nature and intolerant in

[02:36] its outcome. So, um some of these

[02:39] presuppositions that Charlie challenged

[02:42] them and it's great to see that the kids

[02:45] answering that challenge and wanting to

[02:46] be the um thousands of people that were

[02:50] energized. I mean now it's millions of

[02:53] of of young minds that are energized to

[02:57] be challenged and that's what we have.

[02:58] You have to have that vibrancy and that

[03:01] vibrancy comes from debate and in speech

[03:04] and in freedom you don't get smooth from

[03:06] smooth everybody agreeing with each

[03:08] other. You get it from friction and that

[03:10] friction is people disagreeing and that

[03:13] debate and disagreement is what will

[03:16] constitutes a vibrant society and a

[03:19] vibrant culture and that's why the

[03:21] United States is and will continue to be

[03:23] uh such a creative um center of the

[03:28] world because it is and business center

[03:30] of the world because it it it is that

[03:32] exact friction that uh that that is the

[03:36] foundation for these you incredible

[03:39] ideas world you know whether it's

[03:41] YouTube whether it's Google whether it's

[03:44] Elon Musk it's the United States where

[03:47] these come from they don't come from

[03:48] totalitarian countries you won't see it

[03:50] come up in China because uh of the

[03:53] strict nature and control so while that

[03:56] creates conflict that conflict we need

[04:00] to make sure and do everything in our in

[04:01] our power to make it a nonviolent

[04:03] conflict but let us continue to have

[04:06] that discourse and this debate

[04:08] so that the best ideas um will continue

[04:11] to foster excellence and creativity.

[04:13] >> Right. The freedom of speech in

[04:15] authoritarian countries like China, it's

[04:17] a privilege. But here in the United

[04:19] States, it is right. Uh can you talk to

[04:21] us about the nature of this these

[04:23] debates that you had with him uh on

[04:25] university campuses?

[04:27] >> Well, um there is a a real problem with

[04:33] uh indoctrination.

[04:35] In other words, uh these kids are being

[04:38] um I don't like to use any other this

[04:41] term force-fed, but they're not being

[04:44] told to think. They're being told what

[04:46] to think. And um some of these things

[04:49] that uh were seem pretty basic that uh

[04:52] there's a biological sex and that

[04:55] they're divided into uh female and male

[04:58] and that is something that is in our

[05:00] bones. I mean the fact that we have to

[05:02] have this discussion says that there has

[05:04] been some real um you know

[05:08] mind-numbingly uh dumb things taught to

[05:12] our kids. So that's just one aspect of

[05:14] it. but also the um you know how our rep

[05:19] how our republic was founded against

[05:21] tyranny and that the second amendment uh

[05:24] is to protect against government tyranny

[05:27] and that h how that is being um

[05:30] manipulated. Um I mean that that is a uh

[05:34] that we have the second amendment to

[05:35] protect our first amendment and that is

[05:38] an important uh deliation that we have

[05:41] to always remember and make. So, um

[05:44] there there is and um a human body. I

[05:46] mean, Charlie respected the dignity of

[05:50] every human being with love with with

[05:53] Christ's love and more than anyone I've

[05:55] ever known to be a true reflection of

[05:58] Christ's light and love. And that is our

[06:01] calling as Christians. Um and so he

[06:04] would lovingly debate people and remind

[06:07] them that the the sanctity of human life

[06:10] and the beauty of it all and that it's

[06:12] um you know seeing him talk about when

[06:14] um not as a fetus you don't have a fetus

[06:17] shower

[06:18] >> a baby shower

[06:19] >> you have a baby shower and I felt that

[06:22] he did it with love and I felt that

[06:23] there was love back from that those

[06:25] millions well those thousands of kids

[06:28] when I would go to university with him

[06:31] and Um I believe that um there will be

[06:36] many many Charlie Kirks now millions

[06:40] from kids who were moved and touched and

[06:43] um that will stand up but he is

[06:46] irreplaceable.

[06:47] It was this summer that I'd realized he

[06:49] was a true authentic American genius.

[06:53] And it really I remember he had the

[06:56] intellect and the love of country. And

[06:59] that's something that um the um that's

[07:02] what's being the dogma of some of these

[07:04] universities is that they don't really

[07:07] teach or respect how unique and

[07:09] exceptional this country is. how in in

[07:12] world history, in human history, that

[07:15] the United States as a the freedom that

[07:18] we are are endowed with by our creator

[07:22] um is it was fought for with blood and

[07:27] that this is exceptional and that the

[07:29] idea that it's just going to continue

[07:30] without our help is uh is is not true.

[07:35] we have to continually have eternal

[07:38] vigilance to protect these rights that

[07:40] we have. And um it is really um

[07:44] something for me while this has been an

[07:45] extremely sad time, it's also seeing the

[07:49] outpouring and the appreciation for

[07:51] these rights. I think you're going to

[07:54] see we have now a different America that

[07:57] we've woken to from this tragedy. And I

[08:01] know that Charlie would be

[08:04] very proud of uh the people stepping up

[08:07] to re-energize these great, incredible

[08:10] American traditions of liberty for all

[08:13] Americans.

[08:15] >> Okay, just one last question, Rob. Uh

[08:17] what role do you think the media should

[08:18] play and what do you think Charlie would

[08:20] have wanted at this moment? Well, I

[08:22] mean, the reason I'm here is because the

[08:23] Apoch Times and NTD is a true uh

[08:29] source of news that has not been

[08:31] infiltrated or captured by whether it's

[08:34] of the pharmaceutical industries or or

[08:36] an ideology that is uh that is currently

[08:40] has been dominating the culture and

[08:42] dominating the news and our governmental

[08:44] agencies. So what we're seeing is not a

[08:47] revolution. We're seeing a

[08:49] counterrevolution against this uh woke

[08:52] or basically redressed communism in the

[08:55] form of d redressed as tolerance as

[08:58] manners but it's really totalitarianism.

[09:01] So, it's important that we continue to

[09:04] support and appreciate um the very few

[09:08] outlets like Epoch Times, like NTD that

[09:11] is going to bring you news that's going

[09:13] to bring you news that does not have uh

[09:15] an agenda, but it's what happened. And

[09:18] then how you decide to interpret that is

[09:21] not coming through the lens of something

[09:23] that um has a different agenda otherwise

[09:26] other than to inform and educate.

[09:29] >> Okay. Well, Rob, thank you so much for

[09:31] joining us today. Such a pleasure.